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Birley Meadows foundry Any info ?


Guest Tollbar  Jay

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Guest Tollbar  Jay

Hi i am trying to get some information an Birley Meadows foundry i know it was round Olerton area but can any one give me any pointers about where it was what it did when it was ..i don't know where to start

Thanks

Jay

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Hi i am trying to get some information an Birley Meadows foundry i know it was round Olerton area but can any one give me any pointers about where it was what it did when it was ..i don't know where to start

Thanks

Jay

Livesey Street, Owlerton for starters.

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Guest Tollbar  Jay

Livesey Street, Owlerton for starters.

Thanks found it :D the earliest map i can find is 1855 and its on that and the only other map i can get is 1965 and its gone at that time i think i may have to go to the libary and look at the maps to see when it went ..while i am there could you give me eny other pointers to documents i could look at to find out more info ?

Thanks

Jay

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Guest Tollbar  Jay

Think i am getting somewhere and some names looks like it was damaged in the flood and was owned by Joshua Moss and Gamble Brothers the file makers and the resident workers where the Reaney's

Particulars of Damage done to Birley Meadow Tilt, Tilt Furnaces, Fallpipes, Wheel race, Goit, Dwelling House and Yard by the Flood and Costs of Clearing out the same

1864 March 16th Wheelbarrows, Shovels, Forks, and Tools, £3.1.9 worth when done with only one third £1.0.7 £2 1s 2d

19th Man, Horse and Cart 3¾ days @ 8/. Per day £1 10s

Paid Wages to 6 Men and 2 Boys £6 11s 10d

26th Paid Wages to 3 Men and 2 Boys £4 4s

April 2nd Paid Wages to 4 Men and 2 Boys £5 19s 10d

9th Paid Wages to 1 Men and 2 Boys £2 10s 6d

16th Paid Wages to 6 Men and 2 Boys £5 12s

Paid for Hire of 2 Horses 8 days and ½ day @ 8/. £3 8s

To Tolls 15s 1d

23rd To Wages to 17 Men £12 7s 6d

30th To Wages to 12 Men £11 18s 4d

May 14th To Wages to 8 Men £4 3s 7d

June 4th To Wages to 14 Men £2 10d

11th To Wages to 15 Men £2 4s 7d

18th To Wages to 9 Men £1 6s 2d

25th To Wages to 5 Men 7s 4d

30th To Wages to 4 Men £1 10s 2d

4th Two Men Horses and Carts ½ day each 8/. 8s

Paid Blacksmith and Strikers Wages while making and repairing tools etc. required, with fire and tools £3 18s

Paid Engineers Wages Cleaning and Repairing Fan etc. £1 5s

New Door for Parlour of Dwelling House (John Reaney Senior) old one having been broken by the Flood 14s

Repairs to Wheel of Crab broken over the Cleansing. 16s

Alfred Wilson's (Millwright) account for Men Employed in Cutting Trees and Clearing Front of the Shuttle etc.

March 19th 1 Man 5 days 19/. 26th 1 Man 6 days 21/. £2

April 2nd 12 Men 29¾ days 7/8/9. 9th 11 Men 40/2 11/13/. £19 1s 9d

16th 5 Men 13 days 2/6/3 £2 6s 3d

Cowbrake Shafts 8s 11d

Loss of Earnings the tilt having entirely stopped working for 39 days during which its Nett Earnings would have been £151 7s 8d

Loss occasioned by breakage of dams above and accumulation of refuse in the river by which the supply of water is greatly reduced that the tilt cannot do more than two thirds of its previous average work. One third of the Amount of Rent at £160 per Annum for 2 years £106 13s 4d

If within an early period the Water Works Company repair the dams and cleanse the River above Birley Meadow, this amount (£106.13.4) will require modification

Yesterday, Thursday Oct 27th being the first heavy fall of rain of any continuance since the Tilt recommenced, threw it into back water from 10.0 am. to 8.0 pm. This arose from the Contraction in the breadth and depth of the River below the Tilt preventing our Water getting into Rollins Dam with its usual speed. The same weight of the Water before the Flood would not have caused any backwater

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Guest Gramps

Hi Jay, I'm a bit late with this but hopefully you will still find it useful. The maps are 1850 and 1903.

--------------------

From The Water-Mills of Sheffield, W. T. Miller (1934)

Below the outfall from the Owlerton Wheels the stream passes under Penistone Road and flows on to the BIRLEY MEADOW WORKS, where it takes a sharp turn to the right. We gather that there was a wheel here many years ago, for there is a lease in the Tibbitts Collection which records that, in 1739, Edward, Duke of Norfolk, transferred to Margaret Bamforth of High House, widow ...

"A cutlers wheel standing in a field called Cock Lodge." The place names given in the lease locate this wheel at Birley Meadows.

On Fairbank's plan of 1791 the works are given the name of Owlerton Tilt. Messrs. Greaves were the occupiers then, and there would appear to have been two water-wheels, one driving a grinding wheel and the other the tilt. By 1814 the firm had become Greaves & Smith, and in 1825 it is given as Earnshaw & Smith. John Smith, tilter, appears in the directories from 1833 to 1842.

The works are now (1934) in the hands of Denton & Best and Samuel Swift, and there was one water-wheel visible in 1931, although it had not worked for many years.

--------------------

From the more recent Water Power on the Sheffield Rivers, Crossley, D. et al.(2006)

The evidence is that the wheel was originally owned by the Lord of Owerlton Manor and a Cutler's Wheel on the site is mentioned in a marriage settlement of 1709. A forge was added at some time as a will of 1776 mentions 'Birley Meadows Titlhouse'. In 1849 the works were advertised for sale and described as having a tilt with two hammers, saw grinding troughs and two breast water wheels. It seeme the works had converted entirely to steam power by 1907 and drop hammers were still in use there in 1956.

-----------------------

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Hi Jay, I'm a bit late with this but hopefully you will still find it useful.

I'm later still Gramps, add this to your great work and we are getting somewhere ...

Gell's 1825

Earnshaw & Smith Tilters Birley Meadow, Penistone Road

Joseph Birkenshaw Agent (no idea whether connected to these businesses) Birley Meadow, Penistone Road

White's 1833

John Smith Razor manufacturer & tilter 76 Pea Croft and Birley Meadow

White's 1837

John Smith Razor manufacturer & tilter 76 Pea Croft and Birley Meadow

White's 1849

John Lee Roller Birley Meadow, Owlerton

BIG GAP !!!

Kelly's 1893

Samuel Swift Steel, file & hammer manufacturer Birley Meadow Steel Works, Hillsborough

White's 1905

Denton & Best Tilters, forgers, shear makers etc. Birley Meadow Forge, Owlerton

Samuel Swift Steel manufacturer &c. Birley Meadow Works, Livesey Street, Owlerton; h. 129 Dykes Hall Road, Hill (personal point of interest, having lived on Dykes Hall Road, is 129 above the Castle Inn ?)

White's 1911

Samuel Swift Steel manufacturer &c. Birley Meadow Works, Livesey Street, Owlerton; h. 129 Dykes Hall Road, Hill

White's 1919

Samuel Swift Machine tool manufacturer (Denton & Best) Birley Meadow Works, Livesey Street, Owlerton

Denton & Best Tilters & forgers Birley Meadow Steel Works, Livesey Street, Owlerton

Kelly's 1925

Denton & Best Tilters & forgers Birley Meadow Steel Works, Livesey Street, Owlerton

Samuel Swift Steel manufacturer &c. (proprietors Denton & Best) Birley Meadow Works, Livesey Street, Owlerton

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Moss & Gamble

Information from link site :

This company operated 5 'steam' hammers on compressed air with sizes of 7, 15, 20, 30 and 50 cwts. I have a feeling this is the largest and it was being serviced by a forklift with a manipulator on the front. The hammer driver is seated on the left.

The works was taken over and closed.

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Guest Tollbar  Jay

Burkinshaw debtor 1886

i have been digging it up today :D found a pair of toungs and a furnice door ...and i big hole that i think is the culvert ..i am planning to go down it tomorow ...not sure if you guys find this site of interest ??? if you do let me know ..i found the works now ...thanks loads

Jay

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Guest Tollbar  Jay

Thanks again loads the info you lads have given has been a masive help ..but i have a favour to ask ..a big favor ...can anyone put the earlest OS map onto the top of google earth and one from about 1953 and one from about 1996 i dont know how you do it but it will be very very usefull

i will come clean ...my Family now own the site and i am going to try to reinstate the water wheel over the next few years so dont want to go digging and developing the site on the old site of the tilt ..i have been on site all day today working out old walls and digging about with my spade by hand ..i realy need your help on this one guys

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For starters, as near as I can get with the 1950's OS map,

could probably do better.

A bit tricky trying to make out the river course due to trees.

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Guest Tollbar  Jay

For starters, as near as I can get with the 1950's OS map,

could probably do better.

A bit tricky trying to make out the river course due to trees.

that is fantastic thanks a MILLION its better than i could do and its a trillion times better than my effort with OS maps over the top of eac other and a strong light ....thanks again

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that is fantastic thanks a MILLION its better than i could do and its a trillion times better than my effort with OS maps over the top of eac other and a strong light ....thanks again

Glad to be of assistance,

will take a look at the other (earlier) maps tomorrow.

Flash Earth

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Thanks again loads the info you lads have given has been a masive help ..but i have a favour to ask ..a big favor ...can anyone put the earlest OS map onto the top of google earth and one from about 1953 and one from about 1996 i dont know how you do it but it will be very very usefull

i will come clean ...my Family now own the site and i am going to try to reinstate the water wheel over the next few years so dont want to go digging and developing the site on the old site of the tilt ..i have been on site all day today working out old walls and digging about with my spade by hand ..i realy need your help on this one guys

Have you been in contact with South Yorkshire Archaeology Service about the site Jay? They may be able to give advice, and there are Industrial Archaeology groups around who might be able to offer practical help (and get their hands dirty!). Might be worth enquiring?

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Guest Tollbar  Jay

Have you been in contact with South Yorkshire Archaeology Service about the site Jay? They may be able to give advice, and there are Industrial Archaeology groups around who might be able to offer practical help (and get their hands dirty!). Might be worth enquiring?

not sure if i dare ..i have heard storrys that it would be us that foots the bill for the dig ??? we are not building no were near the old site ...but would love it to be looked into buy better than me ...but not sure how to go about it ...do you have any contact details for these guys ??

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not sure if i dare ..i have heard storrys that it would be us that foots the bill for the dig ??? we are not building no were near the old site ...but would love it to be looked into buy better than me ...but not sure how to go about it ...do you have any contact details for these guys ??

If you were developing the site you would apply for planning permission. South Yorkshire Archaeology are part of the planning process, and can insist on an archaeological survey of the site at the developer's expense.

In your case, you are hoping to restore the historical site, which is a different thing. There are a number of industrial archaelogical groups who might be interested in what you are trying to do. I'll try to look out some contacts for you.

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Guest Tollbar  Jay

If you were developing the site you would apply for planning permission. South Yorkshire Archaeology are part of the planning process, and can insist on an archaeological survey of the site at the developer's expense.

In your case, you are hoping to restore the historical site, which is a different thing. There are a number of industrial archaelogical groups who might be interested in what you are trying to do. I'll try to look out some contacts for you.

1903 overlay.

thanks guys from what i have scouted about in and under he he the old cannel is still there i have touched its walls " the first person to do tat in a few years i bet ;-) " its now covered by RSJ's and concreate sitting on the old sides ...but its mostly filled in ...the old maps are amazingly acurate ...at wat location would you say the water wheel was at ?

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Hi all

I’m conscious that I’m a decade late to this discussion, but...

My great, great, great grandfather was John Reaney, Tilter at the Birley Meadow forge at the time of the Great Flood.  He was also a local Wesleyan preacher.  His father, Paul, worked at Wisewood Works, but had died in the 1840s, long before the flood.  Also a local preacher. Both buried at Loxley Congregational church  

Jay - were you able to progress with your project? Did you uncover any remains of buildings?

I’d love to know more about the Birley Meadow forge or the Reaneys, if anyone has any info.

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